Brand Wars! Hardwood Floors Compared!

Let's talk about hardwood floors! We have been asked hundreds, perhaps thousands of times for a wood comparison article. With this article, we want to cover the prefinished hardwood flooring category brand by brand. This article probably won't help you if you are trying to figure out if hardwood is right for you. If you are stuck in the quagmire of trying to decide if you should choose an unfinished floor that is sanded and finished on-site or a prefinished floor, that is another discussion as well.

This comparison article is most relevant to people who are trying to understand the differences between various brands of prefinished hardwood floors. The differences between floor brands can be subtle, so the purpose of this is to give you an overview of a specific brand.

If you are comparing prefinished floors and trying to get a general sense of how brands rank against each other you have found the only source for that in the world! We performed actual research and used our extensive industry experience as our guiding light for this article. We expose the strengths and weaknesses of brands for the benefit of the buyer. Since iFLOOR.com sells all of these products we can be quite objective about our opinions. We are not compelled to push you one direction or another - we simply tell the story the way we see it and let you make the final decision.This is a true full disclosure.

All of these brand ratings that we gave take into consideration all products, styles and overall brand performance. There may be individual styles or products that are above or below the overall brand rating. So, if you see that Bruce has a lower rating than you expected because you have seen or used a quality Bruce floor called Coastal Woodlands - you need to understand that although Coastal Woodlands may be a great product, the overall score of the line is lower.

We want to reiterate the above point so that we don't mislead you: This article compares brands against each other not individual products or styles. That product-by-product analysis will come in a future article. Bruce is a good example of why this point is relevant. They make more than 50 different styles of products and all of them carry the brand name. Some of them are at the low end of price and performance and others are at the highest caliber quality and upper price points. Our brand rating will encompass the entire line and give you a general score.

We use 10 basic areas to see how the floors measure up. Then apply 1-5 stars in each area. Honestly, we don't like giving a 5 star rating in a specific area unless someone has really blown us away. The wood flooring business as a whole has in the past suffered from a lack of innovation. We think this trend will change and can say that we’re happy to see some of the new things that are coming out.

Rating Categories Explained:Below you will see a guideline for each criterion and how each rating is put together. Each rating category is very consistent and generally involves more than one set of variables.

The best overall score is calculated from the total of all categories. The more stars, the better the score. One (1) star is the lowest and five (5) stars is the highest. Total possible stars are fifty (50).

Color and Design

The color and design category is based on the overall selection of species, stains and finishes. Exotic species like purple heart, walnut and many more are available as options to oak and hardwood. Additionally, there are a number of different finishes that can be used to make your flooring look different. Having a variety of different gloss levels can push this score upward. Finally, the design aspect has to do with aesthetic presentation. There may be a line that has a really cool look and therefore has a lot of stars in this area - but that does not mean that it is very durable. Remember that sometimes high fashion options are not always compatible with long-term durability in a family setting. The higher the rating awarded means that a company has embraced the things that I have talked about above. The lower the score likely means fewer options and therefore less color and design!

Warranty

Warranties are always difficult to judge. On one hand we want to compare what each company offers in terms of years a floor is covered as well as what general conditions the warranty is valid. However, most flooring-related warranties are very hollow. Very few have any teeth whatsoever. However, if a company is willing to put themselves on paper for 25 years covering a floor that will get a higher rating than a company that only offers a 5-year warranty. Of course, the more credible and realistic a warranty is written, the more stars are added. An average brand warranty package is 3 stars. More stars mean longer and more meaningful warranty coverage. Fewer stars mean short and shallow warranty coverage.

Customer Feedback

Since we have sold most of the brands shown below and have seen installations of all of these brands, we’ve had the opportunity to get customer feedback about them. The more stars you find in this category the happier a customer is with their purchase and with the specific brand. We do receive feedback on many floors from many customers. We receive the feedback at the time of purchase, following installation and even after a client has lived with the floor for a period of time. This puts together all of those bits of feedback. Lots of stars mean lots of happy customers. Fewer stars mean less happy customers. Remember that customers may have been happy at the time of purchase -- but not after installation. We try to weigh all of the opinions in here. If we have received very little feedback this can count against the brand, too. We generally find our happy customers to be very willing to share their comments about a brand they have purchased. We assume on some level that if a customer is less happy they are less likely to offer opinions later on.

Professional Feedback

We think that an important measure in any product or brand assessment is what the professionals say. In particular, we are putting installation feedback and feedback from retailers into this category. We speak with many installers and many retailers on a regular basis and we discuss the products that are really performing well. We also discuss products that are causing us problems and headaches. The higher the score the better the overall feeling is about that brand. Obviously, lower scores indicate less satisfaction from the professionals.

Price

We use this as a barometer for how the line is based price-wise. An average priced brand would have 3 stars. Lower prices have more stars because price would be more attractive to you. Higher prices have lower stars. This category should be a benchmark. Higher quality floors will have a higher price and that gives them a lower score in this particular area. But the old saying is "You can't have your cake and eat it too."

Uniqueness

When a manufacturer goes out of their way to find unique species, finish types or brings other really cool additions to the wood flooring choices, we think they should be rewarded. Frankly, too few manufacturers care about being unique. Most sell oak and maple in a couple qualities and that represents their bread and butter business. That may, in fact, be a way of life that will not change - but we feel that those that venture out and do something different should get a nice score in this section. This area can also tie in the way the product is presented to customers. A nice easy-to-use display or a standard pricing program are things that are really unique in this business. Lower scores mean they probably make standard products.

Brand Reliability

If you are considering making a large purchase it is fair to believe that you should expect some level of reliability from the company that made the product. If you have a problem, warranty issue, cleaning question or simply want to find out more about your purchase you need to be able to reach out to the company. If a company has a good claims record and really responds to customer concerns you will see a higher score in this area. Companies that try to hide behind shallow warranties and ignore customer needs will score low. The industry at large is guilty of having a poor track record for reliability. This is one area where a manufacturer could really set itself apart from the competition. Also, if a brand makes lower end products you will see a lower score in this area. New companies that do not have a long track record will also have a lower score - that may increase over time.

All of these ratings are subject to change as companies change. Sometimes a company is on top of the world and making great products and that same company can experience generalized trouble that can affect their rating. We try to review ratings on a regular basis. These ratings are compiled and published by iFLOOR.com and may or may not reflect individual experiences. On the whole, we believe that these ratings summarize the situation very well. There are no warranties expressed or implied within this text about the accuracy or reliability of this information.

Westhollow

Color and Design

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Warranty

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Durability

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Customer Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Uniqueness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Total

37

Westhollow has a great mix of products in different species, constructions, surface styles and they all are priced well below their class. They don’t have a huge selection, but their more focused approach and efficiency means the flooring they do make is competitive in all areas. Many of the larger manufacturers have hundreds of styles and one must wonder if that’s even necessary or too many to choose from. They seem to have it just right and it’s probably why Westhollow Hardwood is one of our top sellers.

North American Hardwood

Color and Design

★ ★ ★

3

Warranty

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Durability

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Customer Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Uniqueness

★ ★ ★

3

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Total

35

This line of solid hardwood flooring is one of the nicest we’ve seen and has a unique aspect to its quality. These hardwood floors are made from 100% domestic species that are grown above the 38th parallel. Does that actually make a difference? It does. Trees that grow in this area of the country are actually more dense than the southern hardwoods. That typically results in a longer lasting floor and one that’s a little prone to seasonal expansion and contraction. North American Hardwood also has a great selection and are in the mid-range of the price scale, but their quality makes them an excellent value..

Saso

Color and Design

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Warranty

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Durability

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Customer Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

5

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Uniqueness

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Total

33

We like Saso engineered wood flooring because of its overall quality and value. This would be considered on the lower end of pricing but what you get in the end is a very good floor. Here you have a good mix of species like Birch, Acacia and Hickory. Their engineered construction allows you to install over concrete subfloors or regions with large climatic fluctuations that typically cause expansion and contraction in solid or even lesser quality wood floors. The Saso line of hand scraped hardwood flooring is excellent and is easily one of the best values out there.

Contractor’s Choice

Color and Design

★ ★ ★

3

Warranty

★ ★

2

Durability

★ ★ ★

3

Customer Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★

3

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Uniqueness

★ ★

2

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★

3

Total

24

Contractor’s Choice is a customer favorite because of how easy it is to install and the reasonable price points. These floors are made using a variety of species and offered in both solid and engineered constructions. Contractor’s Choice prides themselves on offering affordable quality and hardwood flooring that is easy to work with. Their message tends to focus more on durability and value than it does style, but make no mistake, these hardwood floors are very stylish and a great bang for the buck. For example, their collection of hand scraped hardwood is one of the nicest we’ve seen.

Aspen Hill

Color and Design

★ ★ ★

3

Warranty

★ ★ ★

3

Durability

★ ★ ★

3

Customer Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★

3

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★

3

Uniqueness

★ ★ ★

3

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★

3

Total

25

A relatively recent innovation in engineered hardwood flooring is engineered HDF core hardwood. What this essentially means is that the core of the floor is HDF instead of a more common plywood. Typically, HDF is more stable and provides better dimensional stability and a surface that’s more resistance to dents. The surface is a layer of real wood and because the core itself is very hard it offers more resistance against compression. The other great thing is that these are click hardwood floors so they are very easy to install. HDF costs considerably less than plywood so you end up paying a lot less for the same look.

Bruce

Color and Design

★ ★

2

Warranty

★ ★ ★

3

Customer Feedback

★ ★

2

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★

3

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★

3

Uniqueness

★ ★

2

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★

3

Total

18

The best-known name in hardwood flooring is Bruce Hardwood! Bruce is owned by Triangle Pacific, which is owned by Armstrong. I point this out so that you know you are dealing with a huge company. However, they are also the largest producer of prefinished wood floors, which creates the first part of the problem. Bruce has literally hundreds and hundreds of products that create a hassle when trying to figure out which floor is right for you. Many times people will see a Bruce floor priced at $2.99 per square foot at a home center and then check out local stores where other Bruce products are marked at $7.99 per square foot. The problem is these are two completely different products designed for different purposes. Floors are engineered with certain design elements and durability needs in mind. These engineering decisions affect the price of the floor. Lower-end floors will have little to say except, "I am a piece of wood with a finish that is probably not too durable." However, higher-end floors will shout out, "Hey pick me - I will look beautiful longer and I actually can take the wear and tear your family will dish out." Wouldn't that be nice? Unfortunately the floors do not speak and that leaves you in confusion. Bruce has too many low-end products for me to rate with a high rating. They do make some nice quality floors but they make it too hard to figure out which is the good stuff and which is the home center stuff.

Kahrs

Color and Design

★ ★ ★

3

Warranty

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Customer Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Professional Feedback

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Price-to-Value Ratio

★ ★ ★

3

Uniqueness

★ ★ ★ ★

4

Brand Reliability

★ ★ ★

3

Total

25

This is a brand that has really stuck to their basic principles that got them started in business. They make longstrip floors in a couple different styles as well as a product line called Linnea. I like the finish that Kahrs uses on their best grade of floors. The acrylic-urethane mix is unique and as far as I know they are the only company that uses it. The finish is very durable and I like the overall gloss level it presents. In general, the lower the gloss level on a floor, the less you will see scratches and other surface imperfections. I think that Kahrs is a fine option for flooring buyers! I do need to make one note of clarification on Linnea. This is a hardwood veneer placed on top of a fiber core board. This is a similar concept to laminate floors - but Kahrs puts a true wood veneer so you get a deeper, more realistic wood look. The obvious downside to that is if you have a true wood on the surface instead of a laminate you should not expect the same dent resistance out of that veneer as you would a laminate floor.

We believe that taking the time to learn more about flooring will lead to more realistic customer expectations and subsequently, fewer problems with your specific flooring project. As always we are open to reviews of this study.